Game May Be Decided In The Final Quarter - Dempsey.

Much of the talk in the lead up to the first Test has been the difficulty of playing at altitude and Girvan Dempsey believes that the final 20 minutes may well be when the issue is decided.

Much of the talk in the lead up to the first Test has been the difficulty of playing at altitude and what effect it will have on the tourists. Full-back Girvan Dempsey believes that the final 20 minutes may well be when the issue is decided.

"This tour has got us focussed after the disappointment of the provincial season for all the provinces. It's got us back together on track. We have I suppose, one of the strongest sides that we have ever brought on tour.

" Two years ago when we went down to New Zealand we were missing a number of players and similarly down to Australia last year for the World Cup. I think realistically this is the first time we have a good chance coming down here to get a Test win.

"Just walking around here and down in Cape Town you can see that they're rugby-mad. Everyone on the street comes up to you and says, 'best of luck in the game,' but you don't know which way to take it, to be honest with you. So it's going to very hard, especially playing the first Test in Bloemfontein.

The South Africans are a bit of an unknown side to us so there's a couple of variables there that go against us. But having said that there is a lot of confidence in the team at the moment."

One of the big difficulties that is envisaged playing in the open Test, is a location that is 5,000 feet above sea-level and Dempsey is well aware of what he faces.

"Yes, there's been a lot of talk about that. I met Brendan Venter and he was saying no matter how you deal with it (playing at altitude) it's very hard to adjust. Your lungs are going to burn and there's just nothing you can do about it.

"With the timeframe we had, we didnt have enough time on this trip to get here to acclimatise so the best system they say for us is to go in 48 hours before the game so you don't have to acclimatise as much.

" But there's no doubt, it's going to be a factor in the last 20. I think it's going to be a key issue for us and I think at that stage, the game, if it's on a knife-edge, could go either way."

The countdown is on to the Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23. Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens & Women's Rugby, previews what promises to be an exciting couple of days.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Jenny Murphy talks about the progress made by the Ireland Women's Sevens team and their pool draw for the upcoming Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Conor Murray and Tommy Bowe speak to Irish Rugby TV about their Rugby World Cup preparations and thank the thousands of supporters who came out to see the players at the open training session at the Sportsground.

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell gives his verdict on the team's new Rugby World Cup jersey and talks about his move to French club Toulon. Ireland's RWC 2015 range is available to pre-order now from http://shop.irishrugby.ie.

Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens, talks about the target of a top three finish for both the Ireland Men and Women in Lisbon this weekend, as they continue on their quests for Olympic qualification.

Tom Daly, who recently captained the Ireland Men's Sevens team to the European Division C and B titles, is looking forward to playing in this weekend's Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ireland will host the 'Women's Sevens Dublin' at UCD on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tournament director Garrett Tubridy and Ireland stars Lucy Mulhall, Jenny Murphy and Louise Galvin speak about their excitement ahead of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier.

Coach Allen Clarke and stand-in captain Billy Holland answer questions from the media following Emerging Ireland's 45-12 victory over Georgia in the final round of their successful Tbilisi Cup campaign.

Emerging Ireland coach Allen Clarke speaks about his side's five-try 33-7 win over Uruguay in the Tbilisi Cup and the first half injury to captain Rhys Ruddock. They wrap up the tournament against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking about the floods that occurred following the Tbilisi Cup's first round, Emerging Ireland team manager Joey Miles said: "A natural event like that, a tragedy like that puts the game of rugby into perspective. We express our regrets to the Georgian people and the Georgian Union for the terrible tragedy that they had."

David O'Reilly from the IRFU Charitable Trust's Corporate Patrons Committee speaks about the new scheme which provides businesses with unique networking opportunities and provides a platform for companies to effectively activate their CSR programmes. For further information, please contact Linda Black of the Charitable Trust - telephone (01) 6473866 or email: linda.black@irfu.ie / http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/34728.php.